Elaine R. Phillips, Nassau County Comptroller

ELAINE R. PHILLIPS

Republican

BACKGROUND:

• Phillips, 61, the former mayor of Flower Hill, was a state senator from 2017 to 2019. She is also running on the Conservative and Tax Revolt lines.
• Phillips was chair of the State Senate Banks Committee during her tenure in Albany.
• Phillips had a 25-year career in the private sector as a Wall Street financial adviser, working for J.P. Morgan, MetLife and Goldman Sachs, most recently as a vice president. She is a financial adviser for Captrust, a Raleigh, North Carolina, firm with an office in Lake Success. She graduated from Pennsylvania State University, with a bachelor’s degree in political science and a master's in business administration in finance.

ISSUES:

• Phillips said she would conduct "aggressive" audits into county agencies and institutions with which the county has financial partnerships, including Nassau University Medical Center, to help identify fraud and recommend best practices.
• Phillips said she would conduct an "immediate and thorough" audit of Nassau County Executive Laura Curran's countywide assessment program.
• Phillips said she would review the comptroller office's procedures after the incumbent comptroller, Jack Schnirman, said his office had fallen victim to a fraud scheme. His office sent $710,000 in county funds to a fraudulent bank account. The office later recovered the money.

By Scott Eidler

scott.eidler@newsday.com@ScottEidler

Scott Eidler is a deputy editor for the towns department at Newsday. Scott has worked at Newsday since 2012 and previously covered municipal government and education.